Obesity is one of the major causes of heart disease, lipid abnormalities, hypertension and osteoarthritis. Treatment of obesity has the potential to lower the risk of all of these diseases as well as improve the condition of patients who already suffer from such illnesses. In addition, it is well known that a large percentage of Americans and Europeans are considered to be obese based on height and weight ratios issued by the World Health Organization (WHO). These numbers in conjunction with the dangerous diseases affiliated with or caused by obesity indicate that there is a substantial need for effective treatment.
Current weight reduction programs usually include administration of systemic medications, which suppress the appetite or reduce the fat and/or sugar uptake of the digestive tract. However, systemic medications often display side effects, some of which may be severe. Dietary changes that reduce caloric intake are also prescribed for the treatment of obesity, but such treatment requires rigorous compliance by the patient for effectiveness and is often ineffective as a result of non-compliance. In addition, surgery, which bypasses a portion of the stomach and/or the small intestine, is also used in the treatment of obesity. Surgical methods, however, are highly invasive and subject a patient to all the possible risks involved with major surgery including infection.
Safe and effective treatment is a long felt need in the treatment of obesity. Because of complications and/or ineffectiveness associated with current treatments a minimally invasive, effective treatment is preferred and is provided by the method of this invention.